By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist leaders are thankful for God’s protection over the Louisiana State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry building, which was vacant at the time of an Oct. 11 nearby shooting. According to WWL-TV, the shooting took place near the intersection of Highland Road and Dalrymple Drive around 8:40 p.m. Saturday during the LSU-South Carolina football game at Tiger Stadium. Two individuals were injured in the incident, which took place around 385 feet from the LSU BCM building. Louisiana Baptist Collegiate Ministry Director Mark Robinson said that several front windows were shattered, but no one was inside the building. Robinson and LSU BCM Director Blake Grundy are cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation. WWL-TV reported that there is no ongoing threat to campus safety. “This incident is a sobering reminder of the brokenness and lostness in our world and the urgent need for the peace and hope that only Christ can bring,” Robinson said in a news release to the Baptist Message. “We grieve for those injured and pray for their full recovery. We also pray for our campus, our city, and for all who are shaken by this violence.” Louisiana Baptist … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist pastors joined other concerned citizens from Central Louisiana, Oct. 2, to pray for students, teachers, families and the community. Held outside the Rapides Parish School Board offices in Alexandria, the event was marked by special music and prayer led by pastors of various denominations and by small groups who prayed for an area recently impacted by social media shooting threats involving several schools, Sept. 27-29. Juveniles who published the threats against Alexandria Senior High School, Peabody Magnet High School, Pineville High School and Tioga High School have since been arrested on charges of “terrorizing” and  were placed into the Renaissance Home for Youth in Alexandria. The Peabody Magnet High School principal as well as local officials and law enforcement considered the social media posting against that school to be a credible threat and consequently cancelled the homecoming parade and football game that had been scheduled for Sept. 27. Brad Webb, pastor with Family of Grace Church, Alexandria, said that the events of the week did not take God by surprise and that God still is on His throne. “Today, God, we come, … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Shortly after several Central Louisiana schools received social media threats of possible shootings, Louisiana Christian University President Mark Johnson travelled to be the light of Christ on the campuses of Alexandria Senior High School, Peabody Magnet High School, Pineville High School and Tioga High School, Sept. 29-30. “Normally I’m allowed to go and visit with students in lunchrooms but recently they've had a lot of shooting threats in our area,” Johnson told the Baptist Message. “We’ve been having a lot of opportunities to sit alongside young people and remind them they’re going to be okay. “I went from being president to pastor real quick because they're nervous over these last few days,” he continued. “And it turned out to be a time of great encouragement and hearing from the students.” All four schools received threats on social media, Sept. 29, though the shootings never took place. The juveniles who made the threats were arrested, placed into the Renaissance Home for Youth in Alexandria and charged with terrorizing, according to the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Department. Additionally, Peabody Magnet High School’s homecoming parade and football … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry welcomed back students for the fall semester, including 39 who made decisions for Jesus, according to LSU BCM Director Blake Grundy. The decisions, including 16 who placed their trust in Jesus, took place during the final day of a week that included a Cajun lunch, waffles and trivia gathering, a freshman fest and a worship night attended by 300 students that included a steak and potato supper. Grundy said he was excited to see the Lord move during the week. “It’s been really encouraging,” Grundy told the Baptist Message. “When we arrived over the summer, the campus felt empty. We didn’t see many students around. We spent those months preparing, reaching out via text, and praying, all without much face-to-face interaction. But then during Welcome Week, seeing so many students come through, and witnessing the decisions made — it was incredibly rewarding.” Grundy asked for continued prayers as they disciple those who made decisions, and as they seek to obey Christ’s call to reach a campus of nearly 40,000 students with the Gospel. “Just like every other campus, ours is in desperate … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer EUNICE, La. (LBM) – Survivor Camp taught survival skills to 93 boys and 80 fathers, and more importantly, connected through the Gospel with 14 boys and three dads in the group who found Christ. Held Sept. 5-6 at Acadian Baptist Center, the 17th annual camp focused on survival skills, spiritual growth, and deepened relationships. Activities include water purification, go-kart racing, medical training and rifle shooting. “We’re teaching boys how to be men,” Camp Director Steven Ancelet told the Baptist Message. “The weekend is based around physical and spiritual survival that’s filled with many life and Gospel lessons.” Survivor Camp also included a time for the dads to have a “man talk.” “As a man, you need to be a leader in your marriage, in your home, in your workplace and in your community,” continued Ancelet, a member with First Baptist Church, Lafayette. “You can’t be passive and must be willing to accept change. We walked the men through that and were pleased at the change we saw in them in just a short time.” The weekend also featured a tribute to Hartie Spence Jr., long-time director of Survivor Camp who lost his life in a glider crash near Salt Lake City Utah, … [Read more...]

By Louisiana Baptist Women’s Missions and Ministry Team PINEVILLE, La. (LBC) – On Aug. 29, the Louisiana Baptist women’s missions and ministry team led women from across the state to pack hygiene giftboxes for those at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. With representatives from 16 Louisiana Baptist associations, the day became a powerful demonstration of cooperation and compassion. ­ The effort, hosted on the campus of Louisiana Christian University, brought together not only women from every corner of Louisiana but also men – including three associational mission strategists - who joined in the packing. Among the churches who participated were First Baptist Church, Gonzales, which brought donated supplies from several churches in the Baton Rouge area, and Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans. By the close of the packing day, 912 giftboxes had been completed - just shy of the 1,000-box goal. ­ Thankfully, the story does not end there. In the two weeks following the packing day, churches from around the state continued to bring in additional hygiene kits to the WMM office, pushing the effort over the top. The 1,000-box goal was the largest in the history of this ministry, doubling what was … [Read more...]